[JaredK511]

Hello everyone So I was fortunate enough to find a beautiful baby EBJD at my local fish store and I want to make sure I raise him correctly as I know they are fragile fish in the beginning. I've had it for a little over a week and so far he is doing great (knock on wood lol). He eats everything I feed him and is very personable. He is nice and stocky with great coloration. He's currently in a 20 long with 2 kribs while I wait for him to grow.

He will be going into a 55 with a firemouth and a rainbow cichlid as the only two cichlids. (If they don't get along I will remove the two and keep the EBJD as a showfish all by himself. I am totally cool with that.

I am very good when it comes to water quality as I do 30% water changes every week. I heard that it's very important to feed him spirulina to help over come the 3-4 month range (which is when EBJD suddenly start to die off?).

So what should my regime be to ensure he grows up strong and healthy? I feed him cichlid flakes (which have spirulina in the ingredients), blood worms, mysis shrimp and brine shrimp.

Thanks!

EDIT: Oh yeah, how long does it take for them to reach a respectable size? A size that would allow him to hold his own in the 55 in the event problems arise.

 

[NativePredator]

Neutral water with soft to medium hardness, a pH of approximately 7.0, and temperatures of 78-82°F , is a good place to start, sand substrate, if you use any plants make sure they are well anchored, a 50 gal min tanksize, and good quality, food source.

Constant attention to water quality, and nothing that will cause any stress, such as rowdy tank mates.

And a lot of luck beautiful fish, but a little overpriced for my taste, when they seem to be a little fragile.

 

[JaredK511]

Thanks for the quick reply! The ph from my tap is about 7 and lowers a bit in the tank because of driftwood. I don't have sand but I have a fine substrate used for planted tanks. Temperature stays a steady 82.

Right now the 2 kribs and ebjd are completely chill with each other so no stress there in terms of tank mates.

I may bump water changes up to twice a week early on just to be safe and encourage faster growth with some slight over-feeding. (The kribs are loving the treatment too btw haha. They have colored up so nicely).

Yeah I hate how overpriced these guys are. But I think I got a good deal at 22 bucks. Not bad for this beautiful fish in my opinion.